A bit late to this but just seen all of Haunting of Hill House.

As horrors go it's quite intelligent and certainly better than expected, only dragging in a couple of places.

And Diana as a totally innocent child woman.

Don't expect the same from Bly Manor.

I watched Blackadder goes fourth back to back over the weekend on iplayer. The previous incarnations were excellent - but the 'fourth' installment is something else. The coming together of the fruitlessness of war/mass combat scenario, and genius writing of it into six episodes is amazing.

That era of comedy wont be bettered.

'Truth Seekers' on Amazon Prime. Simon Pegg/Nick Frost thing about amateur paranormal investigators.

Not sure what to make of it, not really funny enough to call it a comedy (although it did have its moments) but too silly and far fetched to be any sort of drama. Enjoyable in a throwaway kind of way, but forgettable and a bit bland. Wouldnt be surprised if it didnt make it to season 2.

The Office US version

I was extremely sceptical about it but 5 seasons in and it's excellent. The UK version was good, let's not pretend it wasn't but the US one kicks it into touch. So many more episodes means so much more character development and chaos. Bar Always Sunny in Philadelphia i'm not that much of a fan of US sitcoms but this one is great

Rick Hoffman who plays Louis Litt in Suits has to be me of the lowest, slimy, backstabbing shites ever seen on to. Great performance.

Bored on Sunday so watched series 8 again of Curb Your Enthusiasm

Never get bored of the genius and still think best TV program of all time

Long way up

Having completed Long way Down (Africa) and Long Way Round (Europe... I think) Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman now travel from the bottom of South America to LA on electric Harleys.

I enjoy these series. Wouldn't say this is as good as how I remember the prior ones, but still very enjoyable.

I found 8 disappointing. Too much golf club and the Seinfield stuff a bit self congratulary.

9 is back to form and 10 is shaping up.

Really interesting documentary on BBC last night a storyville documentary about the only unsolved hijacking in us history. worth a watch
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000pqyw

Looked like half the country claims they knew who it was !!

For fans of Gone Fishing, there is an hour long Xmas special, filmed around Bob’s hometown of Middlesbrough on BBC2. Not sure of date.

Ahem....

That 10 hours was a long one...good job it was all night. ;)

Enjoyable but at the same time frustrating in that we don`t know any more than we did 20 years ago.

Excellent, that makes up for the fact there is no BBC Ghost Story for Christmas on Christmas Eve.[emoji53]

lol

I felt the need to dig out this classic adaption of an M R James tale. I don't think it'll ever be bettered. Only the Beeb's version of Dicken's The Signal-man came close.

https://youtu.be/w7xJSQY8Ssw

I would like to recommend 'Punk and New Wave Years with Annie Nightingale' on BBC Iplayer, but can't. It is shit.

Seemed that Nightingale was just trying to justify that she should be seen as just behind John Peel at the BBC in promoting this new genre, only to include new romantics bollocks in her homage to Punk and New Wave. A stupid vanity project that I have no words for (other than the ones here).

A fair critique. It was very disappointing.

Yeah! Should of been called My Important Part in the Music Industry. She was name dropping all over the place which was pretty funny, including her line, 'Bowie told me that Devo was the sound of now which was exactly what I told David on his release of Space odyssey'.

I suppose you had to have a massive ego to be a dj on Radio 1 back in the late Seventies & Eighties. :D

One point of order, New Romantics and New Wave went hand in nail varnished hand.

Have to say after a blistering start, Queens Gambit has tailed off dramatically. So much so, we switched off half way through episode 6 last night. No doubt we will finish it but not as good as it looked like it was going to be.

Maybe I am misusing the search facility but has no-one mentioned Small Axe on BBC1 ?


Lovers' Rock was stunning, and I am looking forward to Mangrove.

I enjoyed it - and I think Anya Taylor-Joy is well on her way to becoming a big star.

I persevered to the end but cannot see what the fuss is about.

Careful Shoppsy and Bert, people are being hoisted up for saying that.

The kickback is growing daily (sort of).

Classic! Yeah the best MR James to screen for sure.

But shame no Christmas Eve ghost stories this year like you said, will have to dig out the box set to choose one from there :)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stories-Chr.../dp/B009XD7M2Y

[emoji4] I've watched them all. This is the trouble the output isn't high enough.

I'm into season 2 now and it's really good. Season 1 is a slow burn but worth it.
I think Ozark fans would enjoy.

Started to watch Sneaky Peter on Amazon, started off ok then turned into cheesy rubbish

And often a fondness for youngsters.

Lover's Rock was breathtaking, joyous and life-affirming. Loved it.

Wasn't expecting to see Terence Stamp in the latest episode of his dark materials..

Received Better call Saul season 5 today. Looking forward to binge watching tonight!

It's very good. Apparently season 6 has been held up due to virus, but should be out next year and bring story up to Breaking Bad.

So do you think that S6 will be the last BCS?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTed...W0X3FfCZ-Ksw-I Employee training with Gus!

The First 48, on crime and investigation

A fairly unpopular opinion but one I agree with. Completely depends on your comedy tastes though. The Office is a work of genius. It's an incredibly well-observed account of the depressing grind of office life and the broken people you meet. And that's exactly the reason I personally don't class it as a comedy. Having worked in offices for most of my life with people as deluded and awkward as Brent and Keenan, when I see them being made fun of, my overriding emotion is to feel sorry for them rather than laughing at their misfortune.

Whereas The Office US is a much more farcical and surreal take on the premise with characters like Creed etc. who would never appear in the original. Therefore I find it much funnier, from a detached point of view. I also appreciate the creativity they're able to employ, which would have been completely out of place in our version.

I am a massive fan of Gervais' other shows I've seen though. Extras was hilarious and poignant but (having not seen After Life yet) Derek is my favourite thing he's done and really shows his versatility.

Watch After Life asap, you're in for a real treat

How have you not watched After Life if you’re a big RG fan? :eek:

I enjoyed it, but agree it drifts to the end a little. An edgier less happy ending may have benefitted the show overall. For a chess based drama, it was good

Yes according to Wiki.

Been on my download list since BBC culture mentioned it.

Coz he chats shit, init.

The first series is really good, but the second less so. The fact that a third series is coming surprises me.

First two series definitely better than the third, but still found the third decent. Amazon have a cancelled any filming of a fourth series I believe. Must’ve read your comment. :)

Rewatching Rome on Prime, amazing show in hindsight, they went all out to make it look as authentic as they could with the budget, always noticing cool little details.

Looming Tower on prime is decent.

Belushi, documentary on Sky Arts. Really good.

The Comedy Store - 5-part doc on the said LA venue. Brilliant. Sky Arts.

The Dambusters on Five with Dan Snow. 3 episodes. Finished last night. Watched 2 so far. Dan Snow is a good story teller. Best documentary I've seen on the Dambusters.

These guys were training to fly at 60 feet above the ground for that raid. 60 ft is twice the height of a normal house approximately. Brave and fantastically skilled men all.

just finished season 1 of 'the end of the f***ing world' on Netflix. Enjoyed it, thought I would hate it after the first couple of episodes as the characters were so unlikeable and annoying.

But I liked how as things progressed, she wasn't just an irritating snotty northern brat but a lonely kid missing her useless dad and wanting to lash out. And he went from a murderous 'psychopath' who thought he had no feelings, to realising he was just an introvert who had been deeply scarred by his mother's suicide and he had no desire to hurt people.

Very well written and acted. Looking forwards to Series 2.

Season 2 is just as good if not better

It's a brilliant series.

Just watched the first two episodes of Life in Pieces on Prime. Good quirky American humour. 8/10.

Messiah

We've sessioned 8 episodes this week and it's been excellent, plenty of different storylines developing and the Messiah isn't the standard "rid all the children of cancer" Jesus you'd expect. Looking forward to the last two episodes

8/10

One of my faves too.

Get shorty is great! (not the film)

The first film in the Small Axe series, Mangrove is pretty powerful and sometimes shocking.

Three 'origins' dramas:

The Road to Coronation Street.
We're Doomed! The Dads Army story.
An Adventure in Space and Time - Dr Who.

Finished season 2 of ‘the end of the f***ing world’. Brilliant, loved it. Dark, sad, poignant, uplifting and funny all at the same time. Despite all the things they were getting up to I found myself really rooting for the characters. Alyssa and James’ relationship is so well written and nuanced - they barely speak or touch yet have such a deep bond. Brilliant chemistry between them.

A real gem, highly recommended.

The next two in the Small Axe series, Lovers Rock, great soundtrack but dramatically nothing special. Red, White And Blue, gripping and top performances from John Boyega and Steve Toussaint.

Raised by Wolves - loved it. Feels very Prometheus like (Ridley Scott involvement and the same music director). Interesting story, feel like there's a lot that's going to happen in Series 2. Looks like there's a "is the Planet alive and talking to people" vibe similar to Lost and the island

Saw the second episode last night. I'm savouring it or at least I was until some twonk just posted spoilers.

What a great ending to Homeland. That last season was superb, all centered around espionage, and tension. Season 7 was better than it had been, but still lots of focus on Carrie and her repetitive personal struggles.

I'm re-watching Game of Thrones. It's great being able to watch it back to back, and back to back seasons, now I know how every one fits in to the story, and the clues therein that were missed first time around. When a character makes an appearance every 6 episodes, I actually remember who they are now, rather than the year or so in between previously.

The fourth Small Axe - Alex Wheatle was pretty good. Now started Season 4 of The Americans - been awhile, so picking up on the story threads.

I really enjoyed watching this again recently. It is a shame that the actual programme has gone so downhill over the last few years.

The World According to Jeff Goldblum. Hilariously eccentric.

I've finally finished Bloodline on netflix. It turned into one of those series you don't want to end and you're gutted when it does.
As mentioned before if you like Ozark you'll like bloodline.

rewatching Ash V Evil Dead - hillarious stuff.

Quality :D, still haven't got round to watching the 3rd series yet

The sperm bank scene is stuff of legend.

We did that recently. We hadn't watched the last two episodes prior to starting from the beginning. Not sure whether the ending was an anti climax or not. Can see why Jon Snow went north of the wall. Sansa was turning into a nasty vengeance seeking mother.

Both series are utter genius.

Saw him in two oldies recently..

The remake of the Bodysnatchers with Donald Sutherland, and in an episode of Starsky and Hutch...that must have been 1975 or 76...lol

Film and Arts is our channel of choice..bit like Acorn TV with classical music added on.

Maigret with Rowan Atkinson...typical 50s detective series although his wife seems to come up with the breakthroughs.

That amazing Bros mockumentary is back on BBCi player.

Amazon Prime now available on Sky Q box.

The last of the Small Axe series - Education- was an eye opening, touching episode.

Godless first episode ok

Your Honour with Brian Cranston, pretty good so far.

For those that like their natural world programs. Earth's great rivers is good on bbci.

The Spurs documentary on Amazon is worth a look.

Watching The Shield. Just about to finish the 2nd season - enjoying it so far (other than the choice in music)

TBF. I think most of us have seen it.

That is a terrific programme. It’s quite something to see the difference between Michael Chiklis in this and his previous programme which was the woeful sitcom Daddio.

Last weekend’s Mortimer & Whitehouse Gone Fishing was lovely.

I was quite surprised to see Rowan Atkinson’s Maigret mentioned as I thought it was beyond tedious, but horses for courses and all that.

You know it wasn't meant as a mockumentary :)

Industry on BBC2 , half decent.

Rewatching The Wire :p

Not sure that Mary Whitehouse would agree... :)

I don't understand enough about the financial sector to know for certain how accurate it is, but I suspect not very. The sex scenes, however are a completely different matter. I'm a little surprised the Beeb okayed it, if I'm honest. Probably why they've tucked it away on BBC2.

I'm enjoying the David Letterman interviews on Netflix.

You may be right. But if I don't have the laptop fired up and I am zombie viewing flicking through the poor offerings on cable, I start watching an episode...

Netflix are very good at crime documentaries. I've been watching The Ripper, which if you excuse the pun has been done to death. However they seemed to have got together far more people who were involved in the case. I didn't realise the actor Bruce Jones discovered a victim. They have also used a lot more original footage then either the Beeb or ITV did previously.

Yorkshire or Jack?

Yorkshire.[emoji16]

Assuming that is Les Battersby, yes. He spoke about it on Piers Morgan's Life Stories a good few years back.

I am just about to watch the same documentary now and I am really looking forward to it. I'm not obsessed by the Yorkshire Ripper case but I do find the entire story so very interesting. Dumb police, sexist attitudes, and seemingly a typically average Yorkshire bloke being behind it all. Add in 'Wearside Jack' and it is an unbelievable story.

Does anyone know why Andros is trying to look like him though?